Denying citizenship on religious grounds helped construct American whiteness.

Evidence

Excluding these groups and denying citizenship based on religious identity helped define what it meant to be white. But South Asians’ exclusion was not that straightforward. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 117

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Religious identity alone distanced Asian Indians from whiteness in naturalization law. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 118; Court condemnation of polygamy treated Christianity and whiteness as joint markers of civilization. — Cyra Akila Choudhury, Racecraft and Identity in the Emergence…, 147; Islam functionally disqualified citizenship applicants from whiteness regardless of method — Cyra Akila Choudhury, Racecraft and Identity in the Emergence…, 153 (+1 more)

Related

• Religious identity alone distanced Asian Indians from whiteness in naturalization law. (similarity 0.87)
• Islam was not associated with whiteness, blocking Muslim naturalization (similarity 0.84)
• Whiteness by law was defined as Christian, excluding Muslims from citizenship (similarity 0.83)
• Courts constructed whiteness on shifting criteria including religion. (similarity 0.83)
• Religious identity, once racialized, bars citizens from full dignitary benefits (similarity 0.83)
• Successful naturalization turned on concealing Islam and emphasizing Christianity (similarity 0.82)
• Islam functionally disqualified citizenship applicants from whiteness regardless of method (similarity 0.82)
• Courts distinguished biological whiteness from culturally acceptable whiteness for citizenship (similarity 0.82)
• American courts restricted miscegenation between whites and Asian Americans. (similarity 0.80)
• Phenotypic non-Whites are barred from Whiteness even when Christian (similarity 0.80)
• Asian American assimilation did not grant them entry to Whiteness. (similarity 0.80)
• Racial minorities lacked any constitutional shield comparable to religious freedom (similarity 0.79)
• Courts treated Islam, not skin color alone, as the disqualifying factor for citizenship (similarity 0.79)
• Christians and Muslims from the same region received opposite citizenship outcomes (similarity 0.79)
• Early US law linked racial exclusion to a white Christian citizenship ideal (similarity 0.79)